The kettle bells will be ringing for the start of the holiday season starting this Friday with the launch of the Salvation Army’s annual Kettle Campaign.

The goal for the 2016 Kettle Campaign is to raise $290,000.

“That’s about $6,000 more than we raised last year,” Sam MacLeod, Kingston’s new Kettle Campaign co-ordinator, said.

All the funds raised from the holiday kettles go to fund the operations of the variety of Salvation Army programs throughout the year.

“The Salvation Army provides food, clothes, furniture and other essential services to thousands of individuals and families in need throughout the Kingston area,” MacLeod said. “We rely heavily on funds raised through the Kettle Campaign to provide our ongoing services.”